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Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Worth the wait?

The Jets waited eight days to have their end of the season news conference this morning. While it was interesting, it wasn’t all that informative. Maybe what was most important was what wasn’t said.
The one thing we learned above all else, even though owner Woody Johnson didn’t come right out and say it, is that Rex Ryan still is the power broker in this organization, despite having guided his team to two consecutive 0-3 collapses down the stretch.
Don’t get me wrong—I am on board with retaining Ryan, but I can’t see why his power base should expand given that he admitted today he has made serious mistakes as a head coach. Not only did Johnson say Ryan doesn’t have a “mandate” to win in the 2013 season or else, he also noted Ryan would be a part of the process of picking the new GM, and that the new GM would have to be able to work with Rex.
I believe GM Mike Tannenbaum had to go, if, for nothing else, the cap-strapping contract extension he gave to Mark Sanchez last March. But from what I understand, Ryan’s record as a personnel picker isn’t exactly stellar, either, yet it seems he still will have a large say in picking players, both from college and pro ranks.
Granted, Johnson said the new GM will have the final say. In that case, he better be a lot stronger-willed than Mike T., who made the mistake of too often acquiescing to Rex’s wishes when it came to personnel decisions, especially in the draft.
Johnson did his best to fend off the questions under the watchful eyes of team president Neil Glat and Ira Akselrad, who doesn’t have an official position in the Jets’ organization but is president of The Johnson Company, Inc., the private investment company of the Johnson family. No, Johnson didn’t have any faux pas such as “I spy” or “foot faults,” but he leaned on the same repetitive talking points over and over during the presser.
And when asked if he ever considered firing Ryan, he talked in circles, saying, “No, I never considered that because my confidence in him as a coach, obviously gives me the confidence to keep him as a coach. Having been in business and in football for quite a while now, you can recognize talent when you see it.”
He also, at one point, referenced the philosophy of the man he fired eight days ago, Tannenbaum. Not good.
On a more positive note, maybe Ryan finally has realized that “ground and pound” won’t work in the new age of the NFL. He even said at one point he’s considering using some elements of the “pistol” offense in the future. Hiring the right offensive coordinator will be paramount. We all saw with Tony Sparano what can happen if the OC is not a top-notch playcaller.
As for the defense, I don’t see the departure of coordinator Mike Pettine as a huge loss. No matter who coordinates, the bottom line is it’s still Rex’s defense.

About

J.P. PELZMAN joined The Record in April 1998. He began his career at the Ocean County Observer in Toms River, where he spent one year before leaving for Newsday on Long Island. At The Record, he was the primary backup on the New York Jets’ beat for nine seasons, from 1998-2006, before becoming the beat writer in 2007. Pelzman also has been The Record’s beat writer for Seton Hall men’s basketball since the 2002-03 season.